Victoria’s First 6 Star Green Office Interiors Rating

Umow Lais tenancy is the first in Victoria to achieve a 6 Star Green Star Office Interiors rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). Awarded for the fit out of their offices in South Yarra, it is an acknowledgment of their position as a world leader in sustainable design. The resultant benefits prove that green buildings can be very profitable.

â€œThis is a great milestone for our company,â€ commented Dominic Lai, Managing Director of the services engineering and sustainability consultants. â€œIt demonstrates our commitment to providing innovation and expertise for green buildings that are designed and operated properly. It confirms the benefits of sustainability because it has delivered a 13 per cent improvement in productivity. This is an extraordinary achievement in terms of environmental quality, energy savings, cost benefits and staff satisfaction.â€

According to Shane Esmore, Umow Lai Director and Head of Sustainability, â€œachieving the GBCA 6 Star Green Star Office Interiors V1.1 (World Leader) rating for our offices reinforces our reputation and expertise in the area of sustainable engineering.â€

Sustainable elements that helped achieve the 6 Star Green Star rating include: Five bio filtration walls of plants growing vertical to the ceiling act as natural breathing filters, removing airborne chemical contaminants or Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), a major contributor to poor indoor air quality. Adapted from overseas technology by Shane Esmore for Umow Lai, the bio walls are an Australian first. An abundance of openable windows that allow natural ventilation in summer, reduce the need for air conditioning and ensure an abundance of natural light Workstations placed around the perimeter of walls to maximize use of the sunlight Meeting rooms that open to large balconies, furnished with outdoor tables and chairs for staff use Phase change material in one of the meeting rooms to moderate the climate without the need for separate air-conditioning High levels of energy efficiency achieved through state-of-the-art lighting and equipment selection. High outside airrates through the use of innovative heat exchange systems Careful selection of materials with low VOC and formaldehyde content, including reused and recycled PVC-free material for electrical and communications cabling and reusing workstations, storage cabinets, tables and chairs Metering systems to continuously monitor and improve system performance

â€œWe are proud of the fact that we have put our professional knowledge and expertise into practice in our offices. Green buildings that are designed and operated properly and are user responsive, will deliver staff comfort and improve productivity,â€ Shane said.

Umow Lai carried out their fit out with assistance from Walton Construction, Architectus, Designinc and Kyle Design.

Background: Background: Since its establishment in 1991, the Umow Lai has expanded considerably and now has one of the largest sustainability groups in Australia, employing 21 Professionals Accredited with the Green Building Council of Australia, one Green Starr Assessor and four NABERS Accredited Assessors. Their work includes Fujitsus fit out in the 6 Star Green Star-Office Design certified building at 825 Bourke Street; AXA headquarters, 385 Bourke Street, the 5 Star Green Star rated Hume City Council offices, the $150 million Victorian government project to build 11 schools under public-private partnerships, the $17 million redevelopment of Visy Park for Carlton Football Club, the $1.7 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital and 200 Victoria Street, Carlton, site of the former CUBs laboratories.

A Case Study detailing Umow Lais 6 Star tenancy is attached. Images are available on request.

I am 17 years old and I am currently completing year 12. I have undertaken to do a full scale project on enviromentally friendly office fitouts. My father currently is a director of an office fitout company in Hobart. I would like any information on what has been achieved in your fitout and also could I ask if I visited Melbourne with my father could we come and have a tour of your building. I appreciate anything you could do to assist me in accomplishing what I have committed myself to this year. Many thanks and regards, Naomi Lewis